THE HEAVENLY
MINISTRY OF CHRIST
THE OFFICES OF THE ASCENDED CHRIST
When Christ ascended, He took possession of various great offices.
A. The Christ
Until His ascension, He had not yet been officially installed as the Christ. On the day of Pentecost, Peter declared: “This Jesus whom you crucified, God has made Him both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).
This verse used to bother me. Was He not the Christ before the ascension? Yes, even in eternity He was already the Christ, but in eternity He had not yet been anointed. It was during His baptism that He was anointed. However, He was not officially installed as the Christ until the ascension.
Christ was not only chosen, designated, and anointed by God, but also installed by Him into His office. He passed through the manger, the Jordan River, and the cross, and now He is enthroned in the heavens as the Christ.
The cross can be seen everywhere in Christianity. There are wooden crosses, gold crosses, stone crosses, and steel crosses. Catholics frequently make the sign of the cross. They have a dead Christ. Their knowledge of Him is limited to the manger and the cross.
Where is the symbol of the throne? Our Christ is not limited to the crucifixion. He is enthroned! Even in our spirit there is this throne.
The One who is in our spirit is not lying in a manger nor hanging on the cross, but seated on the throne. And it is this enthroned Christ that we need to experience.
B. Lord
Acts 2:36 also teaches us that He was made Lord. Yes, He was already the Lord before the ascension, but again He had not been installed into this office. One of the Old Testament names for God is Lord (from the Hebrew “Adonai”), meaning owner.
Christ in the Old Testament was Adonai. Then He became a man, a despised Nazarene. This same man was chosen to be Lord while He was still on the earth. But it was only in ascension that He was installed into His lordship.
When Peter said, “He is the Lord of all” (Acts 10:36) in Cornelius’s house, he meant that He was Lord of all peoples—both Jews and Gentiles—and of all things. There is not only God, but also a man on the throne today, who in ascension was installed as Lord of all!
C. Ruler
“God exalted Him at His right hand as Prince and Savior” (Acts 5:31). The Greek word translated Prince is used only four times in the New Testament, always referring to Christ (Acts 3:15; 5:31; Heb 2:10; 12:2—the last two are translated Author).
The term has been translated in various ways in different versions because there is no single English equivalent for the Greek. The idea is that He is the origin and Originator, the Author, the Leader, and the Inaugurator.
Thus, He is above all and, spontaneously, He is the Ruler who possesses authority. Acts 3:15 calls Him the Author of life. It seems that here it actually sounds better to translate as Author or Originator of life rather than Prince, as some versions do.
In Hebrews 2:10 the same word is again translated Author [some versions translate it Prince or Captain]. Christ in His ascension is the Author of our salvation, leading us into the glory into which He Himself has already entered as a Pioneer.
Hebrews 12:2 calls Him the Author and Perfecter of faith. Once again, it carries the idea that He is the Originator, the Leader, or the Forerunner of faith.
Being our source and guiding us on the path of faith are functions included in the office into which He has been installed.
How precious this Christ in ascension is! When on earth, He was so poor that He had to ask a Samaritan woman for water. But now the poverty of His earthly life has ended. He has assumed the position of origin and Originator, Ruler, Author, Leader, Captain, Pioneer, and Forerunner! He is far above all. He is the first. All things and all authority are in His hands.
D. Savior
When Christ was on earth, He saved Peter, John, and many others. However, although the title Savior applies to Him in His earthly ministry (Jn 4:42), He was not officially the Savior before the ascension (Acts 5:31).
Do you realize how your salvation is more glorious than Peter’s? Peter was saved unofficially by the Carpenter of Nazareth. You were saved officially by Christ on His throne.
I understand that you might think how special Peter was to be saved by Jesus by the Sea of Galilee; you, however, were saved by the glorified Christ, who is seated on the throne in the third heaven!
You do not need to envy Peter. When he was saved, he followed Jesus through Galilee. When you were saved, you sat with Him in the heavenly places (Eph 2:6)! Christ saved you from His throne and for His throne. This is your Savior!
E. High Priest
We have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens (Heb 4:14-15)! He is not only a priest but the High Priest, who “is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them” (Heb 7:25).
Christ stands before God on our behalf, praying that we may be saved and fully brought into God’s eternal purpose. As verse 26 declares, He is not only in the heavens but has been “made higher than the heavens.”
F. Minister
In Hebrews 8:2 Christ is called “a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man.” He is the enthroned Servant, ministering to us from the heavens.
G. Firstborn from the dead
This is a great title. Lazarus was raised from the dead (Jn 11:43-44), but his resurrection was only temporary. He died again. From the Lord’s resurrection onward, however, death was overcome. He lives forever. For this reason He is indeed the Firstborn from the dead (Rev 1:5).
H. Ruler of the kings of the earth
He is also called in Revelation 1:5 the Ruler of the kings of the earth. “Ruler” here is slightly different from the title Prince or Ruler we referred to in Acts 5:31.
It is common to call Jesus King of kings, but calling Him the Ruler of the kings of the earth is the same as saying He is far above all earthly rulers.
I. Head over all things
When Christ rose from the dead, God “put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church” (Eph 1:22).
These are some of the offices into which Christ was installed at His ascension.
🌿 Enjoy more:
Hymn: Praise the Lord – “His Humanity”
No comments:
Post a Comment